The man who’d controlled it all, the man who’d recoded the minds of those who served him with absolute loyalty lay dead as well. His death, ironically, was the most noble, engaging in the activity of teleportation that so terrified him to save the life of a daughter he’d ordered killed on more than one occasion.
On this floor, one could do little but declare a decisive Alliance victory. They’d wanted to keep the casualty count low. But none of them felt significant grief over the Aliomenti deaths in this room.
The deaths of the Alliance members, even with Eva’s apparent change in loyalty, tempered any thought of celebration.
Will moved away from the hole in the wall and walked back to the others, his steps heavy, and he sat with little grace upon the ground. He felt the eyes on him. Hope’s plan had gotten them to this point. Now they wanted Will to provide guidance on their next steps.
He had no idea. He’d not thought this far ahead. With few ideas, he looked instead for more information. “What do we know of the situation below?”
Fil’s arm was wrapped firmly around Sarah, but his eyes were on his sister, his sympathy deep. She was wallowing the same pit of despair he’d experienced when he’d thought the woman shrouded in his embrace dead at the hands—and knife—of Abaddon. Angel hadn’t leveled any cities or generated any tsunamis in her grief, likely because she’d been overwhelmed with positive Energy from her family before she could react in an explosive manner. Anna hadn’t left Angel’s side, sitting close by as Angel accepted the loving embrace of her mother. Fil could sense his daughter’s deep empathy for her aunt, and felt a sense of pride at the character she’d developed during his long—though unknown to him—absence as she’d matured.
He glanced at his father at last in response to the question, reading the wisps of Energy floating in from the lower levels. “It seems that the fighting below has stopped. I checked in with Ian. He said that Athos’ decision to launch the gravity mechanism probably upped the death count by twenty-five percent, many due to the collisions experienced when everything reversed.” He studiously avoided looking at Adam and Eva as he spoke. “Ian said Athos approached as he fought another man and tried to talk them out of fighting. Neither Ian nor the Aliomenti man believed Athos, both suspecting some type of ruse.” He winced, his eyes flicked at Angel, then back to his father. “Apparently, Ian got some help and the man he fought ended up dead. He challenged Athos, telling him to put the sword down if he was serious about stopping the fighting. And he did. No hesitation. Ian knocked him out, but everyone had seen what Athos did. In fairness, that singular act helped to accelerate the end of the fight. The medicine already injected via sword cuts was taking effect, which also helped. Our people offered water laced with medicine after. They told the Aliomenti there was medicine in the water and drank some themselves to show it wasn’t harmful. By the time Athos woke up again, they’d all put their weapons down and were talking. Athos got quite the chilly reception—our people were understandably not fans, and the Aliomenti were angry that he’d messed with the gravity and caused a lot more deaths.” Fil grimaced. “Athos came here and… well, you know the rest.”
“Any word on casualties?” Adam’s voice was higher pitched than usual.
“Ian said it’s horrific down there. He has no idea how they’ll identify all of the dead because many of them are… not readily identifiable.” Fil gulped. “Ian’s suggesting that we evacuate the survivors and wipe out the Island.” Fil sighed. “I think I know someone who can help with that.”
“No.”
They turned to Angel, whose head had snapped up as Fil spoke Ian’s suggestion. She extracted herself from Hope’s embrace and staggered to her feet. “We’re not treating this Island as a mass gravesite. Every person who died here deserves a proper burial. I’m not letting a wave carry…” She swallowed hard. “I’m not letting Charlie be carried away by a wave or turned to dust. He deserves better. And Eva… I know she made some choices at the end that we don’t yet understand, and I want to know why she did it… but doesn’t she deserve better after all the good she’s done for so many centuries? And she did stop Porthos from escaping, right? And if we move the two of them for proper burials… we can’t… we can’t be the ones to decide who gets respectful treatment and who doesn’t.” She shuddered. “I can’t agree with Ian’s suggestion.” She looked at Fil. “And I don’t want you going through that again either.”
She sat back down and leaned against Hope once more.
Adam nodded, glancing at Eva. “I agree.”
“She wasn’t a traitor,” Will said quietly.
“But she told Arthur all about us!” Sarah replied, surprised at Will’s statement. “Even Athos said he knew she’d been talking and telling them all kinds of secrets.”
“She’s no more a traitor than I am,” Will replied, “because I asked her to go to Arthur.”
Silence filled the room. Adam gave Will a puzzled look.
“It’s like Arthur said,” Will continued. “If he’s been trying to kill us for so many years, he only needs to succeed once for everything to be ruined for all of history.” Will shook his head. “It was too much risk. We needed to tell Arthur so he could ensure that he didn’t succeed in killing us off. He could make just enough mistakes to avoid the suspicions of those who might notice. But yes, he’d have ample opportunity to prepare for this time, just as we did.”
They all stared at him. “But… why her?” Anna asked.
“Shock value.” He saw the confusion. “Someone had to go tell Arthur Lowell that his main adversary was born in the distant future, traveled to the past and met him there, and arrived there with knowledge and skill and technology greatly advanced from anything he could fathom.” Will chuckled. “Who could be a more effective messenger than a woman he’d thought dead for a thousand years? Besides, Eva is quite persuasive. Always has been.” His smile clouded. “Always was.”
Silence filled the room once more. Will finally looked at Adam. “Your story was interrupted, and I want to hear more. Many mysteries make far more sense now that I know the truth. I remember Eva at one point noting that she and Adam looked absolutely nothing alike, which I thought odd. Siblings generally show at least some characteristics in common, yet they couldn’t have looked more different than if they’d not been related at all. Which they weren’t.”
“It could just be a case of winning the genetic lottery, too,” Fil quipped. “For example, I got all the brains and Angel got all the looks.”
Angel offered a faint chuckle. Fil winked at her.
“Yet there’s a familiarity in your appearances,” Will said. “So… I can’t doubt your story, Adam, even if I was inclined to disbelieve.” He paused. “Yet they separated for so long. We tried to find Eva for centuries. Your father seemed very interested in where she and Hope had been—” he paused, confused, as Hope stiffened at his words and then relaxed “—after their apparent deaths so long ago. After a time, he seemed to give up the search, very suddenly in fact. What I don’t understand is: how did they reconnect so that… well, so that you’re here now?”
Hope’s face flushed, then relaxed. Will frowned slightly. Something he’d said had bothered her. But what? And why?
Adam, who’d looked more deeply concerned as Will fleshed out his question, had visibly relaxed as well. “They were both watching Arthur for similar reasons. Three of you had found the ultimate source of ambrosia, and that was of strategic importance, one Arthur could exploit if he’d learned of it. My mother would sneak into an Aliomenti base when Arthur was there, but you and my father were away. She’d watch Arthur, spy on his various meetings, and try to learn if he’d found that original ambrosia source. She’d figured out that Arthur would have two motives for doing so, should he ever take the initiative to look.”
Will nodded. “Right. He could destroy the source so the only supply would be what the Aliomenti grew in controlled spots around the world. And he could try to find the first people who�
�d ever used it and learn the secrets of reversal. Not so he could use it as we would, but so he could use the knowledge as a weapon against enemies. Reverse immortality and watch them age and die. Watch as they violated the Fourth Oath and became parents. People would see what happened and realize that those who challenged Arthur met cruel fates, and that would push people further under his control.” He frowned. “Probably not as critical given the mental reprogramming, though.”
Adam nodded. “Exactly. My father realized those ramifications as well, thankfully before Arthur, and decided to try to find the source himself. He knew the three of you had located it, and did a lot of thinking about the conversations the two of you had held centuries earlier when he’d tried to figure out where Eva and Hope were hiding. He realized in later years that it wasn’t necessary to understand where they were, but where the three of you had traveled while you were away for that year. If he followed the same path the three of you traveled, he’d reach the same place. In other words, he needed to remember where Eva had been born.”
Will frowned. “Born?”
Adam nodded. “That’s where she wanted to go, right? She wanted to find where she’d been born, once freed from any travel constraints by her apparent death. She guided the three of you in the direction of her birth. Remember?”
Hope’s eyes sparked a bit, but she too frowned.
Will glanced at Adam. “I do remember. She insisted that we travel to the northwest, because that was the direction of the land of her birth. But we never made it, because we found the forest, detoured that way, stayed for a while, and then headed south. We never found the place she’d been born.”
Adam shook his head. “The forest was no detour, Will. That was the place where she was born.”
XXXVII
WILL AND HOPE STARED AT Adam, trying to make sense of his declaration.
As the wheels in their minds spun, Angel extracted herself once more. She’d stared at Charlie’s body since he’d arrived in this room, and it had finally taken its toll. “I have to get out of this place.” She jumped to her feet and moved toward the elevator.
Fil glanced at his father, trying to get a sense of what Adam’s last words meant. Hope was still generally dazed by the events of the day, but she’d been clearly shaken by Adam’s words as well.
Will looked around at the others, and saw the drawn faces and noticed once more the heavy coppery scent of blood hanging in the air. The winds swirling in from the hole blasted by the Hunter Athos didn’t aid in making this a place for reflection and conversation either.
Will nodded at Angel. “It’s probably best for all of us to leave this place and get some fresh air.” The others all filed toward the elevator, in silent agreement that the human-like transport seemed best at a time like this.
Adam was the last to move. He knelt by Charlie’s body and closed the eyelids, staying briefly on his knee before standing and joining the others.
Will moved closer to Hope, who had lost her exterior shell of strength as Angel moved freely ahead, wrapping her arms around herself. “Are you okay?”
She shook her head. “Let’s go.”
Their centuries together had left Will uniquely well equipped to read her moods and body language and words. She was clearly disconcerted by something, but needed time to process everything before she’d be ready to talk. He’d made that assessment before asking the question. His words weren’t spoken with an expectation that she’d talk, but rather to let her know of his concern for her and his availability when she was ready to discuss what bothered her.
They moved into the elevator. Anna remained with Angel. Hope leaned against Will and he put his arm around her, feeling her tremble. He couldn’t fathom what Arthur had said that so disturbed her.
Adam stood nearest the doors and didn’t turn as he asked the uncomfortable question. “What should we do with… those still back there?” The elevator began its descent toward the ground floor.
“We’ll come back for all of them, Adam,” Fil replied. “Nobody’s getting left behind. All of us just need to breathe.”
They rode the elevator in silence and exited into the empty lobby. Dozens of Energy bursts from the lower level had pushed the beautiful marble tiles of the floor up, buckling the floor like ancient roadways during earthquakes.
They began moving toward the exit doors, meandering through the upturned flooring. Fil followed Adam through the three-dimensional maze until he stopped suddenly and sucked in his breath. He spun on his heels and his gaze fell upon Hope. “Mom?”
Her personal daze ended at the sound of her son’s voice, recognizing in his tone deep concern. “What is it?”
“We were the only two in the room for a while, when the guards were there with the hostages, and I wanted to confirm I heard something correctly.” He paused. “Didn’t Grandfather say that he would have his people seizing human hostages throughout the Island?”
Hope frowned as she searched her memory for the conversation. “You’re right. He did, didn’t he?” She instantly recognized the implications. “Everyone, remain alert. There may be Aliomenti still on the Island who aren’t deprogrammed, and who are very much ready to attack us without warning.”
Fil nodded as he wrapped a protective arm around Sarah, who glanced around with an expression of deep concern. As the sole member of their party without Energy, Sarah would be at the greatest risk of a sneak attack. And she’d not be able to fight back if attacked. Fil’s protective embrace made it clear he had no intention of letting anything happen to her. “That’s what I thought.”
Will glanced at Adam. “I didn’t get a chance to ask earlier, but is it safe to say that the only reason you’re here now is that everything is under control back at the Cavern?”
Adam nodded. “All of the surviving invaders have been successfully deprogrammed.” His face turned grim. “That includes the man we once called Athos.”
Fil glanced around. “We have proof that one of Ashley’s virus uploads was successful, but at this point we can only guess that the communication disabling virus was successful as well. That’s another potential source of concern here on the Island. Where are the Aliomenti who were previously on the Island, but who weren’t in the Headquarters building? And what of those who might be on their way here, summoned via an email or a phone call or some other communications media?”
“When we’re more certain everything is under control here, we’ll need to disable the virus and call Aliomenti back in small waves for their medical dosages,” Hope said. “That’s always been part of the plan.” She shivered. “They may return more quickly than we’d intended.”
Will nodded. “I guess it’s not over just yet. Stay on guard, everyone.”
They finally moved outside the building, feeling oddly exposed after recognizing that there were other Aliomenti still on the Island. They made their way through the Plaza, moving away from the building as far as they dared, inhaling deep breaths. They’d not realized the depth and extent of the smells until they moved outside where the air smelled so sweet in comparison. Even with the new lack of closure, their collective spirits rose.
Will grabbed his communicator. “Ian?”
He responded a moment later. “I’m here, Will.”
“The Leader noted that there were additional Aliomenti on the Island who never entered Headquarters building. They’re still out there. Be alert.”
“Understood, Will.” There was a pause. “Should we organize search parties to find all of them and bring them in?”
Will considered, and then nodded before realizing Ian couldn’t see him. “It’s probably for the best. It’s critical that Shields remain up and strong. We do not want any massive firefights, though. Make sure that everyone knows they should teleport away as soon as there’s any threat, and make sure everyone has adequate supplies of the medicine.”
“Understood, Will. I’ll begin the process here and try to get search parties out quickly. I suspect that a few of the form
er Aliomenti will help. That should increase our chances of keeping the fighting to a minimum.”
“Thank you, Ian. That would be fantastic, as they’d be far less likely to be questioned or attacked.”
“Exactly, Will. I’ll keep you posted. Ian out.”
“Thanks, Ian.” Will disconnected the communicator and looked around. “In theory, with Arthur dead, the rest of them should stop fighting without too much persuasion. They might just stop in time. But I’d rather not take that chance. The risk is simply too great. Ian’s search teams will find them all, but it will take time.”
Will formed chairs from his nanos and they sat down, waiting, trying to determine the steps they should take next. Fil glanced at Adam. “You said that your mother was born inside a forest, right? I’m guessing from Mom and Dad’s reactions that it’s a rather important bit of news, but I don’t understand what the implications might be.”
Adam glanced at Will, who nodded. “You’ve been told that our mothers left the North Village after their respective apparent deaths, correct?”
Fil nodded.
“You’ve also been told that they were eventually joined by your father and began a journey that took them to a forest where they encountered ambrosia, right?”
Fil nodded again. Angel moved her nano-chair next to her brother.
“When they joined up and decided to travel, they had no initial destination in mind. Your father had no interest in returning to the North Village in the near future. My mother encouraged them to travel to the northeast, eventually admitting that she’d been born somewhere in that direction and that she hoped to find her ancestors. She knew she wasn’t from the same region of the world as the others; her hair coloring alone made that clear. Your parents found that a worthwhile goal and, with no alternative destinations, they agreed. As they moved along, the trio located an unusually abundant, vibrant forest.”
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